Only Girl Alive by Holly S Roberts:
Book 1
I want to start by thanking the author, publishing company, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I love love love books precisely like this. I think this author did a fantastic job. She is a retired homicide detective and was able to give such a unique detail of the scene that was presented in the book.

Eve grew up in a Mormon Fundamentalist community. She has a unique perspective on what goes on behind closed doors. Eve grew up being tortured by her stepbrother Aaron. Eve was able to get out of the community and became a State Police Detective who specializes in Forensic Photography.

Detective Eve Bennett and her specialized team are called to investigate a gruesome murder in Hilldale, Utah, a Mormon fundamentalist town. Three out of four family members are murdered in the tanner home. Eve and her team receive nothing but backlash from the community and the district attorney (Aaron Eve’s Stepbrother). They have a difficult time finding the youngest daughter Hannah. The story unravels uniquely, and I wasn’t expecting the ending; I was left shocked.

This book was extraordinarily fascinating and kept me on edge the entire time. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!!

Only Girl Alive (Detective Eve Bennet Book 1) by Holly S. Roberts was 5 ⭐️ for me! I thought this was so good. It’s a mystery crime novel I just couldn’t get enough. The story was engaging, the author made me care about all the characters and I can’t wait for book two. I really liked every thing about this one and highly recommend. It was an incredible audiobook and was narrated by Stacia Keogh. She’s a new favorite of mine now that I’ve finished this.
Listen to this book!
Thanks Bookouture via Netgalley.

This is the first book in the new Detective Eve Bennet series. It’s rare for me to start a series at book one, but I appreciated it with this one. Eve used to be a part of the Mormon like community where four murders take place, so there is a uniqueness to her leading the team that is investigating the murders. While I haven’t done any research to see how close this community is to the ones that exist in Utah, but I appreciated the complexity of the community. I have read a few detective novels that took place in an Amish community, but never in a polygamist community.

Eve’s brother is still part of the community and joins the rest in trying to disrupt her team’s investigation. There is such an interesting dynamic between Eve and her former community. It really adds a unique angle to this detective series. And it kept me guessing. I find detective novels are rarely fast paced, but this one seemed a little slower than the average pace.

I was able to switch back and forth between the book and the audiobook and Stacia Keogh does a great job narrating this somewhat dark novel. She kept me focused on the plot.

If you are looking for a unique twist on a detective novel, you should check this one out. I can’t wait to see where the series heads next.

Narrated by Stacia Keogh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Story by Holly S. Roberts ⭐⭐⭐

First time trying Holly S. Roberts and if it was her goal to make the reader rage with those unbelievably horrible misogynistic males then goal achieved.

Firstly I would like to thank #Netgalley #Bookouture and the author #HollySRoberts for my ARC of #OnlyGirlAlive in exchange for an honest review.

Eve and her forensic team are tasked with the job of solving a murder within a community where outsiders are not wanted or accepted!

To make things harder Eve’s past comes back to haunted her and puts major roadblocks up for the Team.

The authors writes in such a way that she brings reader into the world she has created. I laughed, I feared, I was horrified at this possible reality.

Absolutely looking forward to the next book(s) in this series!

3.5 stars rounded up
I enjoyed only girl alive which is the first book in the Detective Eve Bennet series and will be reading the next book when it is released. I was shocked by the beginning of the book and the concept of the death of a polygamist family. I enjoyed this book and found that it was a very easy listen but was not particularly gripped until the twist came near the end of the book. After this I had to listen to the remainder of the book in one sitting and found it difficult to put down. I look forward to picking up the next book when it is released.

Really enjoyed this audio book and look forward to reading more in the series & seeing how character relationships develop as I really enjoyed the dynamics. Highly recommend this.

Only Girl Alive is the first in the new Eve Bennet crime thriller series, and I am looking for-ward to the upcoming novels! Only Girl Alive is a fast moving and quick read that is also short: at just over 7.5 hours or around 275 pages this one got pulled me in from the beginning and I never lost interest!

Polygamist communities are an interesting topic to read about for me, both fictional and factual and we are dealing with one such community in this novel. Detective Eve Bennet had been a part of this community in her past and we also get to see that in flashbacks. We see how her past affects the present and how her knowledge with the community helps with the case. I don’t know if what was mentioned in the novel with polygamist community is factual, but it can be downright frightening what these women are forced to go through!

The reasoning for my four-star review was two things: I was not surprised to find out who the killer was, it was a bit predictable for me. The second reason was the narrator. It took a while to get used to her voice. Keogh came off as nasally to me, but over time I adjusted and was able to really enjoy the audiobook.

I was not surprised to find out that Roberts is a retired homicide detective, and she takes her knowledge and gives it to us in this fictionalized novel. I look forward to future installments of the Detective Eve Bennet series!

Many thanks to Bookouture Audio for granting me an audio arc to listen to and review.

Only Girl Alive (Detective Eve Bennet #1) by Holly S. Roberts (Goodreads Author)
Colleen Chi-Girl's review written on Jan 22, 2023
FOUR BIG STARS
Bookshelves: audio, contemporary, crime-mysteries, netgalley, us-no-amer, utah, women-centered, 2023

This novel is the 1st book in a new crime series with a female lead and it was both edgy and unputdownable. Furthermore, I found it to be both a compelling and very disturbing novel that read like a true crime novel. This really heightened the tension and drama for me, and I had to remind myself frequently it wasn't real. The narrator, Stacia Keogh, did a terrific job with all characters, which isn't an easy thing to do.

The setting for this novel is Utah and involves a fundamentalist polygamist LDS group. We all know they exist and when information in the news arises, I am always struck by how outrageous and awful it all seems. Note: I always feel for the regular LDS community when one of these polygamist stories make the headlines, even though polygamist groups are not a part of their LDS community and should definitely be exposed.

The female lead is Detective Eve Bennet and she and her expert detective team work closely together to solve the horrific crime of a polygamist family found brutally (savagely) murdered in their beds in their own home. There is one child missing.... There are secrets in the attic as well.... (Breathe....)

A great twist by the author is that you learn early on that Eve lived in and escaped from a polygamist group when she was 12 years old. Her mom had escaped earlier and finally came back for Eve who had been treated horrifically by an older brother and other male family members. Eve and her mom don't have the best relationship for obvious reasons. This certainly speaks for the impetus and reasons for Eve's passion and profession. Roberts really nails it as the plot opens and expands on the polygamist families harboring grudges towards the team, especially towards Eve (a traitor and sinner for leaving their specific cult). What I was truly surprised by was how bluntly honest this novel felt, once again making it all the more chilling and heart-breakingly real. It was as if Roberts, the author, had been a part of (or knew someone closely who was part of) a polygamist group. Regardless, her research and writing are realistic and compelling.

Thank you very much to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author, Holly S. Roberts, for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Only girl alive – a review
Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the eARC complimentary copy of this audiobook.
This novel chronicles Detective Eve Bennet’s investigation into a ghoulish multiple murder of members who live in an LDS enclave that supports plural marriage.
As if that isn’t intriguing on its own merit, the detective grew up in that same lifestyle and is still coming to terms with issues and prejudice she encounters due to leaving the community and as well as being a female with a leadership role (rather than a housewife whose life is centered around supporting and upholding her husband’s role in the community).
This novel is well-written, interesting, and the mystery in this story is captivating – I will definitely watch for future offerings from this author!

I really liked this mystery involving a community that I don't know much about. I thought it was a great idea to have our MC a former member of this controversial community. Her character development throughout the story was really interesting to read. I honestly did not see the ending coming until the MC did, so that was a great mystery to me. And it was quite shocking to me, as well. I would actually like to read more about the relationship between our MC and the "villain" in the future. I think the two of them have such similar, but opposing experiences that it would be interesting to read about their dynamic in the future.
I would have liked a little more of an in depth look into the MC's mind. I feel like she was mostly a stagnant character, except when it came to her flashbacks. The romance aspect was lackluster and her relationship with the other characters who are supposed to be her friends was confusing to me. I have no idea why they all actually like each other or get along.
Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture, and the author for giving me the opportunity to preview the advanced audio copy of Only Girl Alive. This debut detective series did pack a punch of suspense in parts. At times, that was overshadowed by the facts and research of the church and polygamist community where the crime takes place. The story revolves around an investigation behind a house found full of bodies with one child missing. Detective Eve Bennet is determined to locate that child in hopes that she can help to identify the suspect to solve the case. However, she will run into bumps and turns along the way. This book was well written and had excellent narration. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

I love a good police procedural and this one definitely hit the mark. Eve Bennet is raised in a polygamist community until being rescued by her mother when she was a young girl. As an adult Eve heads a unit responsible for investigating crimes in the community that she was once a part of. In the first installment of the new Eve Bennet series, Eve investigates the murder of a family. There is only one survivor, a young girl named Hannah, and Eve thinks that she is the key to solving the mystery. However, the leaders of the community will not allow the police access to the young girl. Eve not only has to find Hannah and solve the case but she is also forced to face the demons of her past.

I really enjoyed this introduction to Eve Bennet and the diverse cast of characters that she works with. I really liked Eve, she is strong and smart and doesn’t let herself be intimidated. This thriller is dark and twisty and has a shocking conclusion. If you’re into police procedurals, I would definitely give this one a try. This book would also be good for fans of Criminal Minds. The plot and characters were reminiscent of that show. I’m excited for more from this series and to see what case Eve solves next!

Detective Eve Bennet finds herself at a gruesome crime scene. There are three victims, a husband, wife and child. However, there is a missing child among the slain family. The missing little girl is ten-year-old Hannah and Eve is desperate to find her as well as to find the murderer.

This is no ordinary case for Eve. In fact, the victims belonged to a polygamous community, one which Eve is all too familiar with. This community is a harsh part of Eve’s past, especially as some of its current members have very good standing in the community. These members include the local prosecutor, Aaron, a man who was the bane of Eve’s existence when she was a child, and he is just as unpleasantly difficult now. Thus, this latest case has Eve and her fellow officers tied up in knots.

Eve faces constant danger as she pursues her case, as she must go against the tenets of the religious community. The circumstances of polygamous marriages, and this involves girls forced into marriage at a young age, are very disturbing in this first book in a thrilling new series by Holly S. Roberts. Eve’s past was tragic, and knowing what goes on in that group makes Eve work extra hard in trying to identify the killer. Full of tension, surprises and a shocking conclusion made Only Girl Alive a nail-biting one-sitting read.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/REA9DkzSliI

Cruel Beliefs

Four people are murdered in their beds in the religious complex of the fundamentalist LDS community where polygamy is still practiced. Women are not treated well and married to older men at a very young age. Children are indoctrinated into the religion at an early age and live by the rules of the prophet that leads the community.

Detective Eve Bennet is sent to investigate. She knows about this community she was part of it as a child until she was rescued from it by her mother. She is at odds with her step brother who is in a high ranking spot in the community. She must fight him for an development in the case.

The church is very secretive and they do not wish to have anyone interviewed or spoken too. They refuse to help and soon Eve finds herself in danger.

The narrator did a good job her voice was clear and easy to understand and it was pleasant to listen to.

This was a very thrilling mystery, in so much as it is about a religion that has had much controversy and something like this could potentially happen. I have to say the ending was a real shocker.

Thanks to Holly S. Roberts for writing a great thriller, to Stacia Keogh for narrating it, to Bookouture Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the audio book to listen to and review.

I loved this and finished this Audio book in a couple of days , What a great start to a series

Detective Sergeant Eve Bennett has a lot of issues due to her childhood being spent as part of a Mormon community before escaping in her teens.
She is now a successful Detective who is asked to investigate the murder of the Tanner family who live as part of the Mormon community
They soon discover that one of the children, Hannah, has survived because she was spending the night at her uncle’s. He won’t let Eve see or interview Hannah because she’s traumatised, but Eve sees this as Hannah in danger,
One of the reasons I enjoyed Only Girl Alive, is the storyline of what happens in this community all in the name of their "God"
The investigation itself is hampered by the sect’s secretiveness and refusal to cooperate, but that just makes Eve and her team more determined to solve this crime.


I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Only Girl Alive, the first novel to feature Detective Sergeant Eve Bennett of the Utah State Police.

I LOVED this book! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. If you enjoy books about cults and polygamy- this book is a good one! I would absolutely read more books in this series! Thanks Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Only Girl Alive' by Holly S. Roberts.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Holly S. Roberts, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 13th January 2023.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Lisa Regan will be absolutely gripped by this explosive and totally unputdownable crime thriller from a USA Today bestselling author.' I am a huge fan of all three of these authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue and 34 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Utah, USA 🇺🇸.

This book is written in third person perspective and the protagonist is Detective Eve Bennet. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.

'Only Girl Alive' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Holly discusses/includes sexual assault.

AN ABSOLUTELY INTRIGUING, THOUGHT PROVOKING, UNPUTDOWNABLE HEART RACING AND EXPLOSIVE START TO WHAT PROMISES TO BE AN ADDICTIVE SERIES!!

Wow!!! This book is fantastically written and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.

I absolutely loved this unique page turning explosive page turner. I have never really given much thought to the Fundamentalist Mormons previously but while reading this book I was researching the Fundamentalist Church Of Jesus Christ in Utah and I was absolutely shocked, disturbed and disgusted at some of the things I came across which included the heartbreaking 'Babyland' which is mentioned in this book. I wanted to sat a MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS to Hannah on her extensive research (plus her experiences) which absolutely shone through the storyline. There's not much worse than when an author doesn't research their topic and it becomes littered with unnecessary mistakes as it can spoil the storyline. However, you not only chose an intriguing topic to write about but you've researched it well and definitely piqued my interest on it. I will most definitely be looking more into the polygamist community and the FLDS as soon as I have completed this review. I was absolutely absorbed throughout this page turner. It is filled with tension, suspense, lies, secrets, polygamy, murder and omg the twist!!! I DID NOT see that coming!!! Another MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Holly!! It is getting harder and harder to shock me but by God you did that over and over and over!!! What an ending!!! One of the most gripping unputdownable nerve wracking psychological thrillers I have EVER read!!! You lady have one hell of a talent and I cannot wait to get hold of your previous and future books. I cannot remember the last time I was so hooked by a book but you managed that big time!!! The storyline is filled with crime, shocks, suspense, tension, deceit, history, research and murder. There was so much going on and it was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. It is also very thought provoking and intriguing!! The storyline is scarily realistic after looking into the subject myself and it is something I am not sure many people realise goes on.

Clear your schedule before you start as I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down!! Practically every chapter ended on a cliff hanger so no way could I put it down!! Absolutely hooked!! I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie!!!!

I read approximately half of this book on kindle and listened to approximately half on audio book. I must also give a huge congratulations to the narrator Stacia Keogh who not only brought the storyline to life by really portraying the emotions through his voice but by doing absolutely fantastic impressions of males and females so a HUGE congratulations Stacia!! I cannot imagine that this was anywhere near an easy feat!!! I am looking forward to discovering more books read by yourself as you definitely have a perfect "book" voice!! I sometimes struggle to absorb the storyline through an audio book but if you are the same as me I can promise you will not have that problem with this amazing narrator!!

It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but also any characters that may make repeat appearances during the series too.

I was completely invested in both the storyline and the characters. Each of the characters had their own unique personalities and I felt differently about each of them. I really liked Eve and felt so sorry on her throughout the book. She had a heartbreaking childhood and the more I discovered about her history the more my heart went out to her. However, the fact that after everything she went through she held her head up high and refused to allow the community to get away with what was going on the more I liked her. I found that she is such a strong female protagonist and was extremely likeable. I loved her relationship with her team and I am looking forward to meeting her and the rest of the members again in the next book. I thought Clyde was sweet and I am looking forward to seeing if the relationship continues to develop between him and Eve. I thought it was lovely how he looked out for her and that they were also such good friends while working well together. Colin, Ray and Bina were also great team members each with their own personalities and I loved watching the friendship and relationships between each of them grow and develop and learning about their pasts along with Eve and Clyde's. They make a fantastic team and I am looking forward to meeting each and every one of them again in the next book in what promises to be an explosive series!!! All in all a great mix of characters that worked well with this storyline.


Welcome to my favourite author Club Holly!! Bring on the next book in this gripping series!! I cannot wait!!! Here's to the next success 🥂


Overall an absolutely heart racing, nerve wracking, thought provoking, unputdownable addictive start to what promises to be an absolutely fantastic new series!!!


Genres covered in this book include Romance, Noir Fiction, Women's Psychological Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Police Procedural, Romance Novel, Women's Popular Fiction, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction and Psychological Thriller amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl', Shari Lapena, Karin Slaughter, Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan, Paula Hawkins, Freida McFadden, Rachel Abbot and anyone who loves an explosive ending!!!


276 pages

This book is just 99 to purchase and £7.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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This is the first book in a new detective series and what a fantastic start this book was. Right from the start I was completely absorbed in this story. It’s not just a detective story it’s based around the polygamist community in Utah and reading about the lives of these people really is an eye opener. The main detective Eve and her team come across really well in the book and I can’t wait to see how they develop throughout this series.

Let me first state I didn't realize this was going to be a book about fundamental Mormons. Had I known I probably wouldn't have asked for the ARC. I wish it would have been mentioned in the summary. Though I was hesitant and nervous about the subject as I've read some books on the subject in the past I gave it a fair chance and kept an open mind. The book is hauntingly descriptive. It's written in a way that makes you feel like you are a part of the investigation team. overall the book was enjoyable. I'd give it a 3.5 stars out of 5. Thank you for allowing me to review your book. I look forward to future books.